Campfire
by Pernshinigami
Summary: Nora gets hurt, Piper yells at MacCready, and Nick decides Whiskey and male bonding will fix it. Deacon/MacCready Nora/Piper plus drunk Hancock hitting on X6 and teasing everyone for their life choices and Deacon regaling the crew with the time he was a girl. (possible second chapter if its liked enough)


When Nora went off without Piper, inevitably she found herself in the gardens of sanctuary hills, under the flags her girlfriend had put up to try and display the intent that all were welcome. "Even the institute? Why?"

"After going there, I believe the best thing for them is to try and rejoin the rest of the world. There's no such thing as monsters Piper, just messed up human beings. And I don't want them to fear other people anymore. There's a lot to live for outside, and just think if you want to you can get the exclusive of a lifetime; Inside the Institute from people who were there."

"Eeeh... I suppose, but I want McDunough to confess to being a Synth, we both know its true!"

Things had become routine however, settlement management took a lot of time. And one of the problem children, no doing of any human, was Taffington Boathouse and the god damned bloodbugs.

So it was no surprise Nora and MacCready were late getting home. Bloodbugs liked to come out at dawn and dusk, and they were terribly hard to hit. When Nick and X-6 seemed able to hit them no problem every time, Piper chalked it up to their being Synths. But although their hit counts on Bloodbugs were top out of the others at Sanctuary the other humans there ranked fairly well. Sturges had done the math. The human members of Sanctuary were about even for accuracy and Nick and X-6 had a few percentage points higher, one or two, and being rather disgusted by Bloodbugs Piper just didn't think it was fair that they could one shot the damn things.

The rain was so heavy it was lowering visibility. "Hey..." Preston seemed to just appear out of the rain with a wrapped package and a thermos of broth in hand. "Here, Mama Murphy made a mirelurk cake for you. She says if you don't eat in this you'll catch your death."

"Thanks. Nora should have been back hours ago..." Piper started wolfing her meal, her mood was lifting somewhat with the warmth and the food, but she was still worried.

No sooner had she spoken, than a familiar voice called out of the darkness. "HEEEEY HELP! GET CURIE HELP!" MacCready seemed to just appear out of the dark damp night with a familiar blue suited figure in his arms.

Preston took off running. "GET A MEDIC!"

"b... blue..." Piper dropped her food and ran to help MacCready, who looked like he'd run halfway home, carry the last of vault 111 indoors.

Nick took one look at the ex Gunner's face and threw a blanket over his shoulders. "SIT." That was an order and MacCready took the lurk cake and broth he was handed obediently and sat there shivering, inhaling the steam. Nick glared at Piper. "you too, no more risking your health just because you miss her. Fighting's another matter, I'm in no position to argue with you on that, but at home? Yeah, you're going to bed when she's not here if I have to drag you."

Curie was fussing over Nora, carefully putting pressure on the gaping puncture in her chest. "You used a stimpack MacCready yes?"

"Yeah... only thing I could think of to do."

"She'd be dead if you hadn't. Bloodbugs come from zee humble mosquito, zeir spit contains anti coagulating chemicals to slow ze body's natural process. Zey are always messy when it comes to treating zer victims. Yes... she will live. She'll be in bed for a couple weeks. Unless her condition begins to deteriorate please do not give her a second stimpack. I believe treating bloodbug wounds with time to be far more effective. Not to mention she will lose half of ze benefit if she keeps bleeding. Ze rads she took as general wear and tear are no help eizer."

By now the other traveling companions minus Cait and Strong had got wind of what happened and were poking their heads in despite Nick and Sturges trying to keep them back. Curie was carefully cleaning the wounds. "Ze terrible blood suckers. So simple so deadly." She tsked. "Just like giant mosquitoes, nothing really about zem has changed since before the war except their scale."

"Just their scale?" Piper was trying to force down her disgust, and when Mama Murphy handed Sturges a tray of hot drinks and continued on her way and the tray was passed to Piper for her choice of its contents; a really strong bloodleaf tea greeted her nose. Piper grabbed it and took a sip of the earthy smelling liquid. It was very fortifying. She put down the thermos of broth in favor of the fragrant tea. MacCready had already finished both broth and mirelurk cake, wolfing them down ravenously but he started on the tea at a slower pace.

"Ze father of toxicology once said there are no lethal substances, only lethal doses." Curie replied. "Ze dosage of anticoagulant ze bloodbugs leave is so much more zan zer mosquito ancestors."

"So... what are you doing to help... and can I do something to make it easier?" Piper asked worriedly.

"Trying to close ze damaged blood vessels, zey seem to have tried to close, probably ze stimpack but zey aren't fully closed on zer own. I may need a blood transfusion... Sturges go up to ze vault and try to find a medical file just in case. We need blood typing who knows, one of ze frozen bodies up zer might have blood. And as she has told us every raider attack, 'Grave goods do the dead no favors, ze living come first.'"

"eewwww..." Sturges started searching for his coat. "you're suggesting we try to see if we can use them for a... eeeewwww..."

X6 took that opportunity to assess the situation more closely. "X6 if you value her existance you will let me work." Curie warned. "Zis is delicate work. Zer is a type o bood pack in ze cabinet, ze last one. Ze stupid gunner I took it from had no more need of 'is."

"Why gunners?" asked MacCready sullenly.

"Zer commanders tattoo zer blood type on zer faces. Zat makes it easy to single zem out when ze rest of you shoot zem." Curie got the IV ready. "Ze hanger X6, get it! Surely ze coursers are taught combat medicine as well?! Gravity will do ze work and feed her ze transfusion as her body can take it."

Poor X6 arched a brow with a slightly confused look on his face as he grabbed the stand Curie asked for. "The one thing we aren't taught about combat. We're expendible why should we?"

"Because you are ze institute's finest fighting force! No soldier's education is complete without it mon ami!" Curie snatched the pack from him and started hooking Nora up to it. "Lets see... zere! Now to bandage. Lucky for you I am more zan well equipped to teach. At ze very least I will bring you up to ze level of first aid certification, zen we'll see about paramedic training. For now, out! All of you! Out!" Bandages tied off, and Curie shooed them all out of the house that had been designated as a clinic. "Wait... Piper MacCready, let me see your fingers. Hold zem out."

Embarassed, Piper put down her tea and held out her hands, palm up. Curie tsked at her, turned her palms over and proded the tips of her fingers with a probe. "Does zat hurt?"

"Stings..."

MacCready got the same checkover. "Now move your fingers for me like you were using a type writer. You've seen Nora use one... come on..."

When they both demonstrated, and neither of their fingers wanted to work right. "Ze both of you are ze utter limit! Stay under cover zis rain is due to last for a few days. Do NOT risk your fingers in front of me again! I will 'ave no regrets telling you 'I told you so' and making ze stimpack do ze job for you. Having a doctor treating your wounds is a privelage, you both have wandered ze wasteland you should know better!"

And with that scolding she threw them out. "This is your fault MacCready. If you had been a better shot she wouldn't have been like this." Piper snapped.

Behind them they heard. "You too X6! Even ze courser must listen to ze settlement doctor! Do not disturb her till ze morning! But do take zis book on first aid."

"My fault! How is it my fault!?" MacCready demanded. "Those things are stupid fast you saw when we practiced on them LAST TIME. Only Nick and X got them consistantly!"

"You're an ex gunner, I EXPECT better shooting skills!" Piper stormed away. MacCready ran off to the house marked "Dorms" to sulk. He sat there with his tea, on one of the couches put there for relaxation, and bit down the urge to curse alternately fuming and holding back tears. Piper had said the wrong thing. He cared about Nora too. She was like a surrogate mother to him. Did Piper really think he was so jealous of their relationship he'd deliberately put her in danger!? It wasn't like that. The call had been put into Preston's ham radio and Preston had been busy practicing with the new gauss rifle they got attacking gunner's plaza the previous month. MacCready had simply answered the call and gotten Nora so Preston could nurse his sore shoulder in peace (the kickback from that monster was enough to knock him flat on his ass the first time around!)

Everyone at Sanctuary, EVERYONE adored Nora. That was why such a crowd had gathered when word got out she was injured. And if things had gone just a little bit different he might be in Piper's position right now, hell any number of them might be. MacCready saw the way Preston looked at her, like she was an avenging angel that came down from the heavens instead of the hills. He'd caught Hancock's eyes straying down as she walked away once. There was the shine of pride and a bit of longing in Danse's eyes when he saw her. Hell even Cait had tried once, and Cait didn't like anybody. Nora had politely let her down.

No, Nora had chosen Piper, probably didn't want to have other children after Shaun. And Piper was a good choice. She'd keep Nora's nose clean with all this 'infiltrate the institute' business.

He didn't notice Nick come, take one look at his expression, turn around and go. Only when the old synth came back a few minutes later with some bottles of liquer and the other male members of Nora's little "circle", pull up a chair and slam the bottles down did MacCready notice their presence and the tracks that the tears had traced down his cheeks. "right. Gather round everyone, we're gonna play a little game to take our minds off this."

"You can't drink can you?" MacCready stared at the PI curiously.

"My system burns it off soon as it goes down the hatch." Nick chuckled at his expression. "Eating and drinking is part of normal human socialization, so I found somebody to incorporate that into my body. I thought it would help the people at diamond city not be as disturbed by me."

"heheheh." Hancock grinned. "This is perfect! Nick's gonna be the only sobor one in the house! What's the game?"

"Each of us tells a story about our time with Nora, the others take a drink." Not much of a game, no stakes really. But MacCready understood kinda, it was a bonding activity. "I even coaxed X6 out of his shell for this one." The stoic courser sat on the floor in the circle and Deacon plopped himself down across from him. Hancock wedged himself into the circle between MacCready and X6, an eager expression on his face. Preston reluctantly pulled up a kitchen chair, straddling it and resting his chin on the back.

They rock paper scissored a few times to see who would go first, after explaining how to rock paper scissors to X6 that is and Hancock complaining about it. ("Jeeeze, you don't even know that much but you know how to kill a man in a single stroke?") It came down to Preston and X6, and when X6 won that round Nick had to nudge him into speaking gently with his elbow. Maybe it was the lantern light, but MacCready could swear the courser was blushing. "Alright, well... we'd made it past the dunwich raiders to see what they were hiding. The cavern would shake and heave like an animal breathing around us, the feral ghouls seemed eager to attack us, and odd flashes would come to our minds here and there, showing us what the cavern would have been like 200 years ago. It was the oddest thing... but she seemed determined to see what was so important about that cavern. It was dark but not frightening, as though the Earth around us was alive and welcoming us in.

"Down there I finally felt I had to ask, we didn't know what we'd find and I thought we could get it out of the way without anyone from the institute hearing us. You know she's been nominated to succeed the director there yes?"

"Uhuuuuh so you tell us every chance you get." Deacon yawned. "Get to the point."

"I asked her what her plans were for the institute, but she answered me with a question. 'Why did the institute stay underground for so long?'

"It has to do with security I said. The people on the surface don't like us. But she had to press."

 ***flashback***

"What I mean X6, is why did that become the current state of affairs?" Nora asked, wiggling out of her power armor and getting on her hands and knees to look into the pool below.

"I don't know all the specifics, appearantly about a century ago experimentation on the FEV began." X6 shook his head. "I wasn't around then, at least not that I know of. The SRB doesn't tell you when you join them if you had a previous record of going rogue and being reclaimed. Your file is sealed for the directorate's eyes only."

"To keep you from questioning why that became necessary in the first place I gather." Nora picked up a rock and dropped it down into the pit, watching it disappear. "Got something brighter than this? My pipboy's having trouble with the blackness."

"Of course." He handed the sole survivor a maglight, Nora held it over her head and aimed the beam down into the water. "There's something glinting down there." She shucked her armor. "Watch my six." And down into the depths Nora went. When she came back up, sputtering. "There's a face down there, an eye specifically. Its a metal statue of some kind, and kind of creepy too. This is definately going on the "danger do not touch" list."

"Why did you ask about our history on the surface?" X6 asked curiously.

"I think it would be healthier, mentally, spiritually, if the Institute spent more time on the surface. Bioscience certainly wouldn't complain, they could study their subjects in the open."

"But why?"

"With the Pridwyn looming over the city you really have to ask? They're not there for the railroad, they're there for the institute, and the synths they view as a clear and present danger. And the institute has no allies, they've made themselves unwelcome in the wasteland. Don't you get how dangerous that is? If they're powerful enough to build an airship and fly it, in a world where hardley anybody's ever seen an airplane fly, then they must have a plan to take on and take out the institute."

The courser stopped in his tracks, head turning to pin Nora with a surprised stare. "What makes you think they stand a chance at winning?"

"You're both technically adept organizations with a lot of resources, but only one has been toughened up on the surface all their lives. Every member of the brotherhood has a gun, but for fighting forces you only have security and the coursers. They've probably got something powerful, some kind of bomb, able to open up the institute like a can of cram and then you guys are all at their mercy. And I don't think they're into mercy."

"So you don't like us that much, but you care about us? Thats kind of messed up ma'am."

"I care about Shaun enough to disagree with him. Part of being a parent is if your child does something wrong you discipline them, he's just too big to put over my knee." Nora looked up at him as they reached the last terminal before the exit. "And in my eyes X6, you, and everyone else down there are people. Just people. I don't see any monsters, I don't see a machine when I look into your face. And I wish you'd let me see your eyes more by the way..." she chuckled. "I see a person... and a potential teammate. But I'm not on any one faction's side. I just want the solution that leaves the most number of people alive at the end to rebuild. Why should other families have to go through what I did? Other wives, other children, other husbands... I didn't just want to kill Kellog I wanted to torture him. Its a natural impulse, but instead I shot him in battle like I did any raider that came at me with a gun. And human or synth, if you come at me with a gun and you aren't demanding answers as to what I'm about, I am fully within my rights to shoot you, just as you me if the roles were reversed. Wasteland justice doesn't care about Synths and getting justice, wasteland cowardice is the real bigot here."

She looked up at the courser and shook her head. "X6, its time for the institute to join the rest of humanity, throw off its blinders about whats really up here. I want you all to join the community that is the commonwealth, for better or worse, it must be lonely down there. That... when Shaun inevitably dies, when I lose him again, that is how I intend to honor his memory, by helping the people he worked to protect mature and be able to take care of themselves. Now come on, at least one of those raiders had power armor, I want to see what price the atom cats will pay for it."

*end flashback*

"TO NORA!" the collective cheer went up, and the first shot was drank. MacCready eagerly rolled the whiskey over his tongue, savoring the burn.

And around they went, MacCready eager to embellish the time they went to MedTek for his son's cure and Nora picked or hacked the locks one by one on all the cells /and/ killed the Feral Ghouls /and/ gave them last rights one by one. ("She truely views a person's personality as what marks their life, not their body, so to her the Ferals really are dead, even when they're trying to rip her face off!") Nick offered Nora's slaying of the courser as his story. ("Don't see why she mouthed off to the guy, come to think of it she's more likely to be sarcastic if she doesn't want to do someone in, definately snarked off about Winter.")

Cait whined a shot of Whiskey off them and went on her way calling them greedy as she sashayed off, Preston related how Nora'd taken him to fight a Behemoth to increase his confidence. By the time it was MacCready's turn again Hancock was starting to make innuendos and Deacon's nose was starting to turn red. Preston hadn't taken very many to get blasted, sobbing and venting about Clint and Quincy and wishing he could have strangled the guy instead of having to shoot him. Sturges had to drag him off to bed.

"Have fun lovebirds." Hancock called after them.

"Shove it Hancock." Sturges yelled over his shoulder.

"Shove it up his sunshine Preston needs a good lay!"

"So Hancock, think I should go girl for a bit on a laugh?" Deacon asked him amusedly. "Bet I could get a bunch of kodak moments with Danse going in and out of here and Preston being young and impressionable."

The sh sound when he spoke got kind of slurred and MacCready couldn't phrase his response quite the way he wanted."Bet you'd be a hotter girl than Piper."

"I can totally top that, but thats because she doesn't know how to flaunt, or cares." Deacon smirked. "Question is MacCready, how many lewd comments and awkward looks can I coax out of the folks here? They know that trick back at HQ, done it before. Glory damn near busted a gut laughing."

"Dunno, nice curves and you'd definately coax a few."

"I love that he's willing to do that... go on Deacon! Show MacCready just how much of a girl you can be."

X6 was just staring at the three of them. "This is why I don't like going to good neighbor, its not the chems, or the smell, its the open display of perversion. Between the damn Ghoul and Irma's intrusive comments about how I look from behind I'm surprised actual commerace gets done. And then there's Kleo... who thought an assaultron trying to be sexy was entertaining? Nobody sane thats who."

"C'mooooon X6. You're telling me you don't have any swimsuit shots under your mattress back at the institute? Never find alone time to satisfy some really basic biological needs?" Hancock teased, looping an arm around the courser's shoulder. "I can show you just how satisfying it is... if I'm not your type I got a bunch of women and men I know who are just curious enough about what's under all that black leather to humor me."

X6 pushed Hancock away from him. "i'm going to check on Nora and then go to sleep on her couch, have fun being perverts."

"I'm sure Curie wouldn't mind sharing that couch!" Hancock called after him. "You can't resist your urges forever X6. You're too human!" Brief silence. "Damn, I really was curious about what's under all that leather. How are we gonna get him to let go of the institute if we can't loosen him up? I'd lay good odds getting laid would make a big difference."

"You're actually willing to fuck a courser? Damn Hancock I knew you didn't discrimenate, but have some standards. I know Chase up at Far Harbor I can introduce you to her if you're that curious." Deacon offered. "or not, she doesn't want to be seen as human, so she might not see the point in any relationship, or she might be eyeying Faraday or well... she could also be so devoted to Acadia and Dima that nothing I say could sway her, causes do that to a person look at the Railroad. I swear Carrington needs a wife."

"Oh i'll find some distraction boys, I always do." Hancock took the last unopened bottle of Whiskey and made for the house Nora had designated as a trophy room and armory. "I bet some magazine somewhere around here has something I can get off on."

Nick laughed and then shook his head. "Danse had to leave in the morning, said to go on and get drunk without him. I promised I'd save him some." He corked a half empty bottle of whiskey and made for the door. "Have a good night boys."

"So... how the hell do you pass that mug off as a girl. Can't all be plastic surgery can it?" MacCready asked with a tilt of his head.

"you know... you could always find out. For me gender and sexual orientation is fluid, always has been, but some people just have trouble pulling it off." Deacon leaned learingly over MacCready, who suddenly felt like a piece of meat being sized up for market. For just a moment thoughts of his dead wife went through his mind, but he knew... it was time to let go. If only for the sake of the relief drunken orgasm would bring.

MacCready was never sure who reached for who, he grabbed the shot Preston hadn't gotten to drink, downed it, and then he was kissing Deacon. Not little kisses either, like desperate need relief tongue kisses. And then he was pinned to the ground, and the world was a blur of flying clothing, caresses and gropes that made his skin feel like it was on fire.

/Don't black out now, jeezus Rob can't you hold your liquer./ MacCready thought to himself. The world was a hazy whirlwind, sheets, blankets, the pop of a bottle of cooking oil. "Shit." He slurred, rolling over and arching his hips. He didn't really have the coordination to top.

The intrustion pinched at first, the oil helped a bit, two fingers scissoring and stretching carefully. And then that spot, the one place every man went crazy over. MacCready arched his back into the touch with an incoherant yell of approval.

The fingers were gone, "oh god... how long... shit..." MacCready couldn't get the words out the way he wanted.

"I was gonna ask you that question." Deacon all but purred in his ear, wrapping his arms around the ex Gunner. MacCready felt an unfamiliar intrusion start at his back. An inch, two, and then all the way in, slow and steady. The alcohol and dizzying return of sensations and desires he hadn't felt in years was leaving MacCready disoriented. It was almost like he was drunk off need alone.

"years." MacCready gasped out, he wasn't going to kill the mood by mentioning Lucy. "Jeezus this feels good."

"Gonna get a whole lot better." Deacon started to thrust, not slowly, not frenzied either, just a steady pace, kissing and nipping at MacCready's neck and shoulders, lavishing attention on him.

MacCready felt himself starting to whimper, small, primal, needy noises that rippled up from his chest. Any promise ever made not to swear flew straight out of his head with the first stroke to his prostate. Deacon's name started to bubble up with the whimpering noises, incoherantly demanding more and cursing worse than any filthy mouth he'd had as a child.

A familiar coil started to tighten in the ex gunner's abdomen. "not gonna... last... shiiiiittttt!" MacCready arched his back, howling in pleasure as he came. One last snap of Deacon's hips and the railroad agent was spent as well. MacCready felt heat spilling into him, vision swimming as alcohol gave way to the rush of endorphins and oxygen that came with orgasm.

Deacon withdrew from the marksman's body, rolling them onto their side and laying there completely speant. All the moaning and cursing and begging MacCready had done had just turned him on more. "So... years huh. You aren't the only one."

"Couldn't let go..." MacCready mumbled. "... Lucy died so suddenly, so violently... I just couldn't... I'd see her face... and all desire just drained out of me. I couldn't do it."

"My Barb, she's gone too..." Deacon admitted quietly. "... didn't know she was a synth. And they beat her... I felt so guilty... I couldn't... I just..."

"heh, just how many widowers are there here in Sanctuary? Next thing you know we'll be hearing about Preston's long lost..."

"shhhh, just don't..." Deacon chuckled sleepily.

Out in the livingroom Piper just stood there, jaw hanging open and a blush rising in her cheeks. She'd come to apologize to MacCready. Nick had just quietly said something to her about taking her anger and fear out on him, and that was really all it took for her to not be angry anymore. It wasn't just the coitus induced howls that had her sneaking out almost feeling as though she'd she'd be violating something just by hearing it. Two macho, smart ass guys that would never in a million years admit feeling hurt or loss to her face had just admitted it to each other in earshot.

Halfway across the street Curie met Piper and smiled. "She woke up, but she won't stay awake for long. Go on." She nudged Piper gently towards the house that Nora was in.

Piper ran in, hugging Nora eagerly. "Blue!"

"Hi..." Nora's voice was weak, but there was nothing weak about that smile. Piper threw her arms around her lover happily. "... I see I was missed. Don't fret Piper. Takes more than a bloodbug to kill me."

"I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Curie said you yelled at MacCready. Try not to be too hard on him okay?" Nora touseled Piper's hair lovingly and kissed her. It was weak, but the love and affection were as strong as ever. Piper felt the wonderful melting sensation in her chest and any doubt she had evaporated away. Nora reached up onto the shelf above her head and pulled something off it, handing it to Piper. "in many ways he's still a needy little boy at heart, trying to be a brave soldier that doesn't need anyone, but really he needs so much. It took forever for me to get his mind off how to best sock away caps and to realize that he didn't need to treat every friendship in sanctuary like a business transaction. Can't have you ruining that..." Nora held out a tiny toy soldier for Piper to examine, eyes slowly drifting shut. She slid over in the bed and patted it with her hand. "C'mon, I must have worried you so much, and I could use the warmth."

Piper set down her hat and coat on the chair next to the bed, pried off her boots, and snuggled up to her lover, falling asleep with their foreheads touching.

Outside Nick took to his nightly watch, sending Dogmeat into the living room to lay at Mama Murphy's feet. Cait and Hancock's laughter could be heard floating on the breeze. Nobody noticed in Sturge's machine shop at the top of the cul de sac the blinking light on the terminal, or the data from a certain decrypted holotape rolling across it, or the profile pictures labeled with Synth ID designations that went with the written data.

And with any luck, Sturges would find it in the morning before anyone else did.


End file.
